Amen Thompson scored 25 points and grabbed eight rebounds as the Houston Rockets defeated the San Antonio Spurs 118-106 on Wednesday night.
Jalen Green added 21 points and seven rebounds to help Houston improve to 37-22, securing its spot as the fourth seed in the Western Conference.
Green scored 16 points in the first half as the Rockets built a commanding 64-46 lead by halftime.
Thompson, playing in his first game since being ejected for a hard foul on Giannis Antetokounmpo, shot 12-of-15 from the field.
Dillon Brooks contributed 19 points on 5-of-8 shooting from beyond the arc, and Alperen Sengun chipped in nine points and 11 rebounds.
Keldon Johnson and rookie Stephon Castle each scored 22 points for San Antonio, but the Spurs suffered their fourth consecutive loss.
San Antonio’s offense struggled early, scoring just 20 points in the first quarter while Houston built a 23-7 lead off an emphatic dunk by Sengun.
Despite a late push, the Spurs never cut the deficit to single digits at any point.
The Rockets dominated the glass, outrebounding San Antonio 60-41, marking their third straight game with a rebounding advantage of at least 13.
San Antonio’s bench provided most of the scoring, tallying 79 of the team’s 106 points, while the starters combined for just 27 on 11-of-35 shooting.
Castle led the second unit with 22 points and seven rebounds, while Sandro Mamukelashvili and Julian Champagnie added 12 and 11 points, respectively.
De’Aaron Fox struggled offensively, finishing with seven points on 3-of-12 shooting, and Jeremy Sochan exited at halftime after taking a hit to the head.
Houston shot 47.1% from the field but struggled from three-point range, hitting just 11 of 38 attempts.
San Antonio had an even tougher night from deep, making only 7 of 39 (17.9%).
The Rockets’ defense forced 14 turnovers while limiting the Spurs to 42% shooting overall.
Jabari Smith Jr. finished with nine points and 10 rebounds for Houston, and Jeff Green provided 13 points off the bench.
